


Open Door

by rannas



Category: Kingdom Hearts
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, Literal Sleeping Together, Nightmares
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-13
Updated: 2020-02-13
Packaged: 2021-02-28 06:47:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,849
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22699639
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rannas/pseuds/rannas
Summary: Aqua keeps coming by every night to escape her own nightmares and Terra does not know if it means anything but all he really cares about is that she keeps coming to help him escape his own nightmares.
Relationships: Aqua & Terra (Kingdom Hearts), Aqua/Terra (Kingdom Hearts)
Comments: 2
Kudos: 39





	Open Door

Everything was so different. And yet, the three of them fell into a familiar routine at first. They still ate meals together and trained together. In so many ways, they seemed like the same people they were 10 years ago. Aqua still took care of everyone. Ventus was still kind and eager. And he was still trying to be strong and hopefully putting up a good front. 

Of course, that did not erase what had changed. After all, because of him, Master Eraqus was gone. His keyblade now just a memorial outside. He visited it daily. Trying to talk to his former master. His father in all aspects beyond biological. Of course, he never heard back but it seemed to help all the same. That was not the only change. Ven now had this little ‘Chirithy’ as the creature called itself. There seemed to be something to his past that he could not even remember, and that the little creature apparently could not just say outright. Balance of the worlds and all that. All they had was a hint, the history of the keyblade. Aqua was always the reader, the more studious of them both, but even she knew little more than fairy tales of this past time. But while this may be their home since childhood, they knew that there were still secrets to be uncovered. Secrets Master Eraqus had likely been holding until they had become masters. Secrets he never got the chance to share with them. 

Chirithy was not the only new force in their lives. So many more keyblade bearers now. Allies that were becoming friends. The link between worlds only becoming more and more easy to traverse as their hearts became closer. Their little trio now a part of something bigger. And while Terra did not find meeting new people the easiest, it was a little easier when they had all been through so much. Xehanort and his many forms had wrecked so many lives. It was almost comforting to know he was not the only one struggling through this. 

The first night they all returned to the Land of Departure- returned  _ home _ . They all met under the stars. In that same spot where Aqua had given them their wayfinders all those years ago. 

“We are all together again,” Ventus said with a pure-hearted smile. He could see Aqua was trying to hold her tears back too, but they both ended up crying and embracing Ventus under the stars that night. The old Terra would have never cried in front of them but now he did not really seem to care at all. They all relished in the sensations of the embrace and the feeling of being themselves again. 10 years… 10 years of being trapped. In the darkness, in sleep, or inside of someone else- they had been separated and reduced to almost nothing. But despite it all, somehow they had actually made it back to stand under the same stars again. 

That night was not so bad. But the nights after just got worse. In the daytime, it was easy to forget. To put on a mask and act like his best self. One that had not been possessed and controlled. Of course, that panic never went away. That fear that he would be consumed. He could feel it turning in his gut almost all the time, that pit of anxiety that never completely went away. But at night, controlling it became so much harder. 

A full night’s sleep was a stranger to him. Instead, he tossed and turned, no matter how hard he went all day in attempts to exhaust himself. It never worked. The moment he hit that bed, his mind went into overdrive, filling his head with all his worst thoughts and fear. And in the hours it took to untangle that mess of dark thoughts, his body would finally relent and let him sleep. But that was always shortlived. The moment his sleep was deep enough, he would dream and those dreams were always nightmares. Nightmares that woke him up, muscles tensed, covered in a cold sweat. 

One night, he laid in bed, ready to succumb to the cycle of nightmares that were sleeping for him but before the dark thoughts could take over he heard a voice outside his door. 

_ “Terra?”  _

_ What was Aqua doing here so late?  _ He wondered but did not question it out loud instead calling out for her to come in. She opened the door and Aqua trod into his room silently sitting on the floor right by his bed. She looked so much younger dressed in pajamas. She normally looked strong, like a keyblade master should. The ruffled hair and loose clothes made her look more vulnerable somehow. Or maybe it just reminded him of how she looked when they were kids staying up all hours in their pajamas talking about how they’d one day be keyblade masters. 

But she was not a child anymore, the dark circles under her eyes and lines in the middle of her forehead were evidence of that. They had not aged a normal ten years, but both could see that what they had been through had still changed them. Maybe not as dramatically as a normal ten years but they were definitely not the same. He could mostly see it in his eyes as well, a little more hollowed and lined then they were before. His skin and body may be youthful still, but his heart and mind could feel those long years. 

She was still sitting quietly, back leaned against his bed and hands wrapped around her knees. Her head was down. It was too dark to read her expression. Terra turned and moved his arm off the bed to lightly rest his hand on her shoulder. It was a slightly awkward position, especially since he usually lay on his back. But the physical contact was worth it. 

“I’m tired, Terra.” There was a tightness in her voice like a cord about to crack. 

She turned, and in the moonlight, he could see the redness in the whites of her eyes. He had heard screaming from her room the past few nights. Terra could not even begin to wrap his mind around the horrors she must have witnessed in the realm of darkness. 

“Me too.” He squeezed her shoulder slightly. 

When they turned 18, Eraqus had let them upgrade their rooms. Aqua had added more shelves for books and decorative tapestries and other little doodads that Terra just did not understand. Terra’s main priority was getting the largest bed he could. He’d added some pictures and a punching dummy, but he cared the most about getting the largest and most comfortable and he could, and it took up almost half of the room. 

Moving over in his large bed, he grabbed one of his many blankets stacked on the side. “Here” He set the blanket down on the edge of the bed. “If you want, of course,” his throat a little tight. He hoped this wasn’t crossing some invisible boundary of their friendship. Physical contact had never been an issue between them, but this seemed different and more  _ intimate _ . 

They used to sleep together in the same room all the time as kids. They’d stay up late playing keyblade masters. Making up wars and stories that they played out with wooden blades and dolls, usually until they passed out on the floor together. They would take all the pillows and blankets they could find and make the best forts they could on that kind of night. But they got older, and that stopped. Puberty hit and that kind of thing started to seem awkward. They still spent a lot of time together but their differences were much more notable. And all that growth made it clear that Aqua was more than just a childhood buddy. She was a beautiful and self-assured woman that he found himself a few times just watching in awe. It never felt weird between them but Terra knew it was still different. And when Ventus came along their whole dynamic changed, it wasn’t just the two of them. Now they had Ven. A kid who was lost and needed them. Ven was the little brother he never had and he took great pride in helping with his training. He was practicing to be a Master after all. And Aqua, well she was better at magic and way better at emotions so together they became a little trio- and with Master Eraqus, a little family. 

Aqua climbed up on to the bed, her voice soft “Thank you, I just… didn’t want to be alone.” She pulled the blanket over her but before her head hits the pillow she reached out and grabbed the top of his hand giving it a slight squeeze. It was different, but that comfort of having someone with you while you slept that felt familiar. He felt her jerk around a few times during the night, but no screams. He only woke up once. For the first time since his return, his bed actually felt like a place of peace. She was gone before he woke- they had both always been early risers- but he does not mind it. 

The next night, he hears her soft knock and immediately scooted over and placed that same blanket. She gave the same sleepy smile as before. It still took a bit, but he found sleep faster than the night before. He still woke up in cold sweats and he still felt her twitch about and yell out. But it did not seem as unbearable as before, he could handle the nightmares knowing Aqua was right there. And he imagined that the very same reason she kept coming back. He had never been good at figuring out emotions but he was pretty sure this time he was right. 

A week goes by, and Aqua showed up at his door every night. He started putting the blanket down before she even shows up. She started bringing her own pillow. One night, as he is about to close his door for the night he hesitated. He left it cracked wide instead, ready for Aqua to come in later. 

One morning, they walked out together. He saw Aqua tense up and looked over to see Ven standing in the hall, arms wrapped around Chirithy. He tilted his head, “I was coming to see Terra.” 

Terra exchanged a worried look with Aqua. There was no need to be doing anything that would make Ventus uncomfortable. And this… well, he was not really sure. They never talked about it. It was an unspoken arrangement. She didn’t even knock anymore. Just came in and slept. He was not really sure what Ven would think of it. He was still young after all. And Terra and Aqua were not kids anymore, there were other implications to this little arrangement. While if they were actually a thing, he was pretty sure Ventus would be totally supportive. But this tenous not defined thing was different. Even he was confused when he thought too much about it, and Ventus did not need any more confusion in his life. He was already dealing with figuring out this whole mysterious past. He went off with Ven leaving Aqua with her forehead cinched in deep thought. 

But Aqua still comes. And they still don’t talk. Some mornings she was still there and some she was not. Some mornings he found himself walking with his arm around her, or with her hand on his. They don’t bring it up. But those kinds of mornings seemed to lead to the best kind of days where smiled and positive thoughts came easier. 

One night, Aqua does not come. Terra told himself he doesn’t mind and it’s not as he needs her to sleep but he knows that’s a lie. He’s lied to himself enough times to know that much. Her presence has allowed him to actually sleep, and not just the disjointed unrestful disjointed mess of sleep he was getting before. Actual sleep where he woke in the morning actually feeling rested. Where when he washed his face in the morning, he no longer saw his face dominated by the dark eye circles from before. Her presence was like some kind of magic that made it so the nightmares weren’t gone but they were less frequent. Manageable at the least. He tossed and turned for some time but realized sleep was not coming. Instead, he got up and started to make his way to her room. 

Probably stupid, he had not looked at a clock but there was no doubt it was late. She probably was already asleep. He went to knock on her door but stopped. Instead, he placed his palm on the door and cursing himself for even coming here. Fingers splayed against the wood, he debated just going back to his room and trying to sleep. But instead, he calls out, just like she did on that first night. “Aqua.” She called him in and he saw that she was nowhere near being asleep. She may have been in her pajamas but the blankets and pillows looked untouched and she was just sitting on her bed. “You didn’t come.”    


Aqua sighs, “I know.” Terra sat next to her on the still made bed. “I just... felt  _ weak _ .” He saw her hands gripping the edge of the bed. 

“You, weak?” He said softly, the surprise evident in his tone.

“I mean I can’t even sleep in my own bed by myself. Not without… “ She shuddered. He wrapped his arm around her and she sunk into his chest. He could feel warm tears falling from her eyes onto his bare skin. 

“Aqua. You are the strongest person I have ever met.” “Way stronger than me. You just went through a lot. No one else would even still be here after that.” He’s pretty sure the tears have stopped. He took his other hand and placed it on top of hers. “And why do you think I’m here. I can’t sleep without you either.” 

“We’re a mess.” Aqua adjusted her hand and wrapped her fingers around his, running her thumb across the back of his hand. Which somehow warmed his whole body up. 

“Maybe alone. But we have each other.” He gave her hand a slight squeeze. “And Ven. And all of our other new friends.” 

Aqua turned to him with a tired smile, “You’ve got all old and wise on me Terra.”

“Only because I had you to guide me.” He replied but Aqua looks at him in response with an unreadable expression. Like a mix of confusion and fondness. She closes the slight distance between them. Softly, her lips touch his. He’s pretty sure he’s supposed to move or something but he just returns the slight pressure. They linger for a bit. It was not passionate or dramatic like he’d heard it was supposed to be. But he liked this better. Soft, sweet and powerful. A rush of powerful and positive emotions rushing through him. A jumble of emotions that for once did not need to be untangled. He wondered what Aqua’s thinking but he doesn’t want to break the sweet silence. He pressed his forehead against hers and he thought he was smiling but he’s too tired to tell. It’s hard to see this close, but Aqua’s expression looks serene as well. 

When they finally break apart, Aqua squeezed his hand and smiles. They both stood and made their way back to his room. They don’t say anything. But something is different. Any tension is gone. Aqua crawled in the same blanket and while Terra still slept on his back and her on her side. Aqua moves in curled towards him with her hand laying on his bare chest. The cool skin of her hand rested just by his beating heart. He put his arm out and she rested her head on it. Sleep finds him fast and he does not wake up once. And if he has any nightmare he does not remember them. 

When he woke, she was still curled up near him. A peaceful look on her face that he wished he had a photo of to look at all the time. He realized he was staring when her eyes slowly blinked open and at first seemed a little taken aback. But she does not seem upset, rather Aqua gave a contented sigh. He thought she was about to get up, but she just turned in closer to him. The sun was a little higher than it usually was when they rose, but they could afford to sleep in. Ven usually did after all. He looked around his room and noticed that they had left the door open last night. Something that would have definitely concerned him when this thing first started. But now… that open door just seemed hopeful and made him smile as he pulled in closer to Aqua. 

**Author's Note:**

> Some heavy-handed door symbolism at the end. I apologize. I also had every intention to write this from Aqua’s POV but I just started and suddenly was just writing Terra and went with it. Almost Valentine’s day so this counts for celebrating that kind of right?


End file.
